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Is it possible to make my breastmilk fattier? Updated with more info....

My DS is not underweight, he's gaining okay, slow but okay. But I would much rather him gain weight a bit more quickly. He already eats on demand and for as long as he wants at each feeding. But he went from gaining 20 oz a week to gaining only 9 oz in 3 weeks. Is there anything I can do to help his weight gain increase and/or increase the far content of my milk? Thanks ladies.

More info.....sorry I forgot to put in there, he is only 14 weeks old and was gaining the 20 oz. a week until about six weeks. At 6 weeks he was just over 12 lbs and then at 13 weeks he had only gon up to 13lbs 11oz. On top of that I really really do need to eat better. I don't eat a lot of junk but with three kids i've noticed more and more lately that I look at the clock and it's 2 pm and I haven't stopped to eat anything yet. But in the beginning my DH was home from work, until he Hero was 8 weeks old, so I had more time to focus on myself and the baby so my diet was much better. And yes I DID have a huge oversupply issue in the beginning which has since not been an issue. I still make plenty of milk, but my supply seems to have regulated. So with my diet not being very good and his weight gain seeming to be really really slow now it is a bit concerning. I think i'm just going to have to start setting alarms for me to eat or something.

I think unless you are severely malnourished, your milk will pull what it needs, and that's it. I'm not sure you can really change the composition of your milk. I haven't done much research on the subject though, so at the very least, here's a bump for you.

What I see is that every time I eat food rich in GOOD fat, NOT JUNK FOOD PLEASE, like avocado or coconut, i.e. I notice more of that layer of fat in the milk. So like the PP said, if your diet is balanced with fruits, veggies and protein you'll be fine,

Yeah, i had an avocado on a salad the other day and it showed itself a day or so later in the diaper! yuck.... but also if your LO is becoming more mobile, they can be burning more calories and the weight gain can slow.... if pedi is fine with it I think it is okay!

Well, I really do not see a problem. His weight gain before was phenominal, and not to be expected at all (remember, 4-6 ounces per week is the norm). It has slowed, but what has changed? How old is he? Is he more mobile now? Started solids? All of those things can lead to a slower weight gain and even some weight loss.

I am Andi. I am a 21 year old , , cloth diapering momma of two. I am a WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor, hoping to become an IBCLC. Ask me about my Momma-Made cloth diapers, CD'ing accessories and baby slings!

My DS is not underweight, he's gaining okay, slow but okay. But I would much rather him gain weight a bit more quickly. sometimes that is NOT up to youHe already eats on demand and for as long as he wants at each feeding.and he finishes one side fully before swicthing side?? But he went from gaining 20 oz a week WOAH overgaining...bet you have an oversupply seriouslyto gaining only 9 oz in 3 weeks.3 oz a week is VERY low gain for a little guy your sons age..sounds like the result of an oversupply to me Is there anything I can do to help his weight gain increase and/or increase the far content of my milk?ok you can realize the norms of weight gain first, then realize theres nothing you can do to increase the fat content except make sure he gets more hindmilk Thanks ladies.

There are ways to increase the amount of fat baby gets... but why would you want to? If he's nursing on demand, he's getting exactly what he needs. You can't expect him to maintain 20oz/wk... he'd be ginormous by 6 months! You want to see 4-7oz/week on average, so if he gained 20oz/wk for 3 weeks and then 3oz/wk for another 3 weeks, he's still well above that at 11-12oz/week on average. (just guessing at the numbers here... don't know your babes age or all the details).

He's not gaining slow, thats for sure. If anything, he's gaining really fast. You don't want him to gain any faster... a slow down is probably just what he needs and his body knows it. Do nothing, nothing is broken here.

So... from 6-13 weeks he had an average gain of almost 4oz/week (3.8). After gaining 20oz/week the first 6, that's to be expected! He was born at about 6lbs? For the whole 13 weeks that's an average of 9.3oz/week... which, again, is above average.

My 6lber was 14lbs at 3 months, which is right there about the same with your LO. He was also gaining about a lb a week in the first 6 weeks... they slow down. They have to.

Start eating better for yourself, but if your babe is making plenty of dipes, there's nothing wrong with your supply or how much milk you're making and you're eating habits won't change his weight gain. His weight gain is predetermined by his biology.

Really... don't focus on weight so much. Look at the baby. Is he happy? Thriving? Growing? Meeting milsetones? He's perfect. Ignore the scale, it won't tell you anything that looking at your babe can't. If you have a concern about his development, THEN start to look for a cause, but if he's developing normally, assume all is well.

So... from 6-13 weeks he had an average gain of almost 4oz/week (3.8). After gaining 20oz/week the first 6, that's to be expected! He was born at about 6lbs? For the whole 13 weeks that's an average of 9.3oz/week... which, again, is above average.

My 6lber was 14lbs at 3 months, which is right there about the same with your LO. He was also gaining about a lb a week in the first 6 weeks... they slow down. They have to.

Start eating better for yourself, but if your babe is making plenty of dipes, there's nothing wrong with your supply or how much milk you're making and you're eating habits won't change his weight gain. His weight gain is predetermined by his biology.

Really... don't focus on weight so much. Look at the baby. Is he happy? Thriving? Growing? Meeting milsetones? He's perfect. Ignore the scale, it won't tell you anything that looking at your babe can't. If you have a concern about his development, THEN start to look for a cause, but if he's developing normally, assume all is well.

Thank you so much, I feel a bit better now about the change. I was just getting really worried about my diet being the reason that he wasn't growing like he used too. It's always been hard for me to remember to eat, but now with 3 kids it's really hard lol. And breastfeeding has become one of the most important things to me so I worry sometimes about whether I can continue doing it or not. My DS was actually 7lbs 14oz at birth, but the Dr. was the one that pointed out the 20 oz a week gain at his 4 week checkup. Then we were out of town and he wasn't measured again until 6 weeks and I didn't even calculate the exact ozs. at that time. So he may have just had most of the weight gain from 0-4 or 5 weeks. But after his 6 week weight is when I really noticed the drop off.

Thank you so much, I feel a bit better now about the change. I was just getting really worried about my diet being the reason that he wasn't growing like he used too. It's always been hard for me to remember to eat, but now with 3 kids it's really hard lol. And breastfeeding has become one of the most important things to me so I worry sometimes about whether I can continue doing it or not. My DS was actually 7lbs 14oz at birth, but the Dr. was the one that pointed out the 20 oz a week gain at his 4 week checkup. Then we were out of town and he wasn't measured again until 6 weeks and I didn't even calculate the exact ozs. at that time. So he may have just had most of the weight gain from 0-4 or 5 weeks. But after his 6 week weight is when I really noticed the drop off.

Doc calculations are a bit off... in any case though, he's at an average of 7oz/week (without taking week one loss into account). Which, if you look at the chart Tabi posted before, is dead on perfect. He's perfect. Remember to eat for YOURSELF (I know, I do it too!) and relax. Enjoy your LO, as you know, they grow FAST! Lay out 6 diapers in the morning, when you grab that last one, you know your supply is perfect and he's getting plenty of milk. That's all you need to concern yourself with at the very most... I don't even go that far! :)

You've only got one this time, take the time to enjoy him. I'm sure it was much harder with two of them!

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